Asthma attacks are a nightmare. The panic, fear, and struggle to
regain normal breathing can make it seem like an eternity to get relief. Most
medications and remedies are reactive "solutions". Here are some
preventative actions that can be taken that can give you confidence and
control over asthma.
1. Optimize digestion
Poor digestion can create toxins in the body that can lead to inflammation. Add
herbs and spices to your diet that promote having more frequent bowel
movements. Garlic, ginger, aloe, senna, cascara sagrada, barberry,
clove, and turmeric are all helpful in promoting good digestion.
Eliminate
foods that cause digestive problems. A good starting place is to remove
refined sugar, refined white flour, and dairy as they all have negative
effects on the digestive system. Add digestive-friendly foods to
your day with green smoothies. One of green smoothie a day can give your
body a much needed boost of vitamins and minerals. Here is an example
of my typical daily green smoothie; water, coconut water, ginger root,
celery, kiwi, parsley, and romaine lettuce.
Chew your food
thoroughly. This one may seem simple, but it was actually hard for me.
I've been scarfing my food down since I was a kid. But the benefits are
too good not to keep practicing. It allows more nutrients to be absorbed
and it allows your stomach not to work so hard since the pieces of food
are much smaller.
Try intermittent fasting. Just don't eat
sometimes. I'll have to admit this one sounded crazy to me, I love to
eat, and I was sure I would starve! But one Sunday I went for it. I
didn't eat for 24 hour and I lived to tell the tale, in fact I felt
really good during the fasting! The major benefit to this approach is it
gives the digestive system much needed rest.
2. Stay hydrated
Drink
plenty of water. This will help the mucus in the lung from becoming
sticky. It's easy to lose track of this step during the busy day and
with so many other drink options available water can be overlooked.
3. Retrain your breathing
Breathing
should be done effortlessly through the nose. If you are a mouth
breather or a heavy breather it would benefit you greatly to start
practicing gentle nose breathing. This was easier said than done for me
as I was a heavy mouth breather. But with practice and the help of a
couple of breathing training devices I was able to get it under control
and I am so much better for it!
4. Walk or participate in low impact exercise
Having
asthma is a great excuse for not working out, after all you don't want
to get yourself all worked up and induce and asthma attack. But you'll
find that walking or other low impact activities like qigong can improve
asthma control because they can be done while maintaining gentle nose
breathing. Avoid the nightmare of an asthma attack by using these natural prevention tips in your daily routine.
Have you ever thought, "What can I do to get rid of asthma?"
Have you ever thought, "What can I do to get rid of asthma?"
I
suffered for years with asthma. Late night trips to the hospital for
breathing treatments, carrying two inhalers, trying different
prescriptions, and waking up in the middle of the night in a panic
trying to catch my breathe.
